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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · mug · can · snap · wax · bound · spring · current

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. bound — tied together
  5. capital — a city
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spring — the season
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. current — of water
  15. spring — of water
  16. mug — a face
  17. capital — money
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bound — certain
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com